During the process of home construction, many components are erected or assembled into place in order to ensure a secure and relatively air-tight structure. For example, a foundation is poured, an optional basement is placed, and wooden framing is erected to form the basis for walls, electrical conduits, insulation, and mounting points for roof framing. Conventionally, these frames are held together with conventional nails, bolts, and various other components that are equipped to bind the frames together. Commonly, insulation is placed into the cavities formed between the framing and the surfaces employed to cover and finalize the walls and ceilings. This insulation is conventionally composed of fiberglass, a urethane, or similar lightweight components.
Unfortunately, insulation that is conventionally employed in the construction of a structure is often not enough to adequately minimize heat loss within the structure. As a result of inadequate insulation, the HVAC unit of the house often has to work harder to overcome the change in heat brought about via undesired air circulation from air escaping the house. While no land structure is preferably completely air-tight, the insulation employed by construction workers in the construction of the structure is designed to minimize any exchange of heat between the outside air and the indoor air.
While it is known that air, or rather the gaseous mix that comprises what people breathe and refer to as ‘air,’ is an exceptional insulator, few have managed to employ it properly within a confined space in order to ensure it acts as a proper insulator. Notable exceptions include double paned windows, which employ an air tight cavity to hold air within the two panes of glass, helping to insulate the window. Fiberglass is a relatively effective means of insulation in part because it is fibrous, and has many places where air may penetrate or be held within the foam or fiberglass fibers. However, the air held within and between the fibers of fiberglass is subject to air circulation, and is eventually exchanged from air from the outdoors, limiting the efficacy of the insulation. As a result, the air held within the framing of the house within the insulation is rarely the approximate temperature of the interior of the structure. Similarly, foam insulation is a highly effective form of insulation, however it would be more effective if the air exposed to the insulation was regulated, and kept at a relatively consistent temperature.
Thus there is a need for a way to employ conditioned, isolated air within the walls, ceilings, and even the basement as an effective means of insulation, helping to keep heating and cooling costs low, and minimizing the strain on the HVAC unit of the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,306,667B2, published on Nov. 6, 2012, filed by Baba and the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is for an Air-Conditioning Apparatus. While Baba has a similar configuration of HVAC units to that of the present invention, the present invention differs in that it employs a series of channels within the walls, ceilings, and flooring of the structure.